Ambulance garage starts to take shape on Airport Road

United States Forest Service officials and interested citizens look over maps of a proposed public lands and management plan initiated by the federal agency. The open house was presented on Monday at the U.S. Forest Service office in Price. Additional meetings will be scheduled at locations throughout the state in the upcoming months and public input is being sought by the federal agency in connection with the planning process.

The United States Forest Service presented an open house Monday at Price to update the status of the federal agency's public lands and natural resources management plan revision process.

The Feb. 13 open house focused on providing a forum to discuss and review objectives and suitable uses of the forest lands with members of the general public and officials from local government entities, explained the representatives from the federal agency.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, the public land and resource management plan has been divided into five basic components:

Desired conditions

Objectives

Guidelines

Suitable and unsuitable uses of public lands

Special areas.

Large maps of the Manti-LaSal Forest were on display at the meeting, with various colored overlays outlining the projects, proposals and plans.

A draft of the objectives of the study, called a vision plan, was distributed to the residents and officials who attended the informational forum at the federal agency's Price office.

The open house was part of an ongoing effort by the federal agency to involve the public and interested groups in the planning process, noted the forest officials.

Earlier input meetings were conducted in September and November 2005.

Three additional meetings are slated in southern Utah.

A meeting focusing on objectives and forest land use issues is slated Feb. 16 in Moab at the Grand Center.

Then the focus will turn to guidelines and monitoring at open houses in Ephraim on April 4 and Monticello on April 6.

After the comment meetings and open houses have concluded, a draft of the forest plan will be available for review and comment by June 1, noted the federal agency.

Carbon County residents who are unable to attend one of the open houses may get an update online by visiting the forest service website at www.fs.fed.us/r4/mantilasal/projects/projectsforestplan/forestplanrevision.shtml. A comment page is available on the site.

The federal agency will accept public comments by telephone, mail, fax or email.